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Review: Relish by Lucy Knisley

This memoir in graphic novel form details Lucy Knisley’s relationship and ongoing love affair with food throughout her childhood and young adulthood. With each chapter in the book showing an episode in her life that impacted how she related to food, Knisley has penned a book that is not at all about weight watching, but instead the story of how a gourmet is born. The daughter of a chef, Knisley grew up helping out at farm stalls and working at her mother’s catering jobs. She also details how her mother both introduced her to the wonders of food in both taste and the way it can connect people. Each chapter ends with a recipe, showing readers how to create their own sushi or navigate selecting a great cheese.

Knisley’s style is reminiscent of that of Raina Telgemeier with characters who are drawn with an innate humor but also a profound affection. Knisley writes of her relationship with food in particular, but the book is also a love letter to her mother and the impact she had on Knisley throughout her life. I am profoundly grateful for a book about a girl’s relationship with food that does not contain even a moment of weight concern or dieting. Instead it is about finding or creating great food in one’s life.

Funny and delicious, this book is sure to whet the appetite for more books by Knisley. Get it into the hands of teens who enjoyed the books by Telgemeier. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Macmillan Children’s Publishing.